System Goals/Philosophy

I'm always amused when people talk about their system, component or whatever, being for classical, jazz, rock- or movies, for that matter. Or that it makes certain recordings sound especially good, or the bad ones sound especially bad- or not so bad. Anything but what it should be, which is not there at all.

That to me is the ideal. To sound like nothing. Of course, you never really get there. But the closer you do get the more you realize its a sound system, not a movie system, not a rock/jazz/small ensemble string/barber shop quartet/kazoo band system. Everything sounds, not necessarily good, but what it was. Whatever the performers and engineers put down. Which generally speaking is feelings. You get that right, you got it made.

Sorry to report but I've always been a bit crazed over the quality I want to get from my music collection.  My non-audiophile acquaintances are genuinely amused at how much time, energy, wallet and physical space I've devoted to something they've never considered all that important.  Even my musician friends are amused.  Yes, your viewpoint does show how sane you are.  As opposed to most of the rest of us, you know when to say when (or do you?).  But I also have to say that I'm not into the hobby for bragging rights.  I just love having great sounding music at my beck and call.